Races
Races The Scarred Lands are home to many races, some familiar and some less so. Even those that seem familiar have differences that give them a unique feel on Scarn. And some, most notably gnomes, don't exist at all. Drow Once the elves were a united race, until the dark god Nathalos led some of them to seek a new home beneath the earth. These elves eventually became known as drow and the strange energies that they discovered beneath the Kelder Mountains turned their skin black and their hair bone white as well as enhanced skills with arcane magic. During the Divine War drow and dwarves fought side by side until some great tragedy turned them against each other. The drow have become obsessed with seizing control of the dwarven capital of Burok Torn and have entered into an alliance with Calistia and King Virduk to destroy the dwarven people. Dwarves It is said that dwarves were first created by Golthaga to aid him in his forge. Since the Divine War, the dwarves have struggled greatly. As a result they have become isolationists with a bitter streak. Their once great empire has been reduced to a few clanholds and city states. Still they retain their pride and have managed to survive despite being attacked by enemies from both outside their mountains and enemies from beneath them. One unique breed of dwarves are the wood dwarves of the Hornsaw Forest. The majority of the differences between the more common mountain dwarves and wood dwarves are cultural. Wood dwarves have adopted much of the culture of their elven neighbors. However, they have lost much of their connection with stone and instead have developed an ability called Woodcunning. Mechanically this ability works identical to Stonecunning, except with wood instead of stone. Elves Elves are the children of Denev. As creations of the Earth Mother they are tied into the web of life and have suffered much in the aftermath of the Divine War. The only elven realm to survive untouched was the hidden nation of Vera-Tre. Elves have a strong druidic tradition and very few elves outside of the island nation of Uria worshop the gods. Many elven leaders can still remember the Divine War and it's aftermath; as a result they are distrustful of other races, particularly humans. Calistia's betrayel during the Druid War is still a sore point, but the rangers of Vesh have gone a long way in changing perceptions of humanity. Half Elves Because of the limited interaction between humans and elves, half elves are relatively rare in Ghelspad. However, on the southern continent of Termania they are quite common. Termanian elves were struck with a great curse and cannot reproduce anymore. They can reproduce with humans however, and in order to continue their civilization they have taken to kidnapping and enslaving humans and using them as breeding stock. Half elves are treated quite well in some nations but are no better than slaves in others. Many half elves in those nations have escaped and made their way to Ghelspad where they have tried to make a new life for themselves. Half Orcs The mighty empires of the orcs are long gone. Today the orcs are hunted and reviled by all the divine races. However, half orcs are often treated with pity rather than fear. This is because half orcs are usually the product of the slave pits of Dunahnae or raids on human villages by orc barbarians. Half orcs who escape this life often find sympathy from other people. This does not mean they are well treated, just that they are left alone to succeed or fail like everyone else. Halflings Few races have suffered like halflings have suffered. Because of their size, they have been abused and bullied by just about everyone. Many human nations see nothing wrong with enslaving halflings and using them to work plantations and farms. For their own part halflings tend to ignore the abuse and live quite and humble lives full of appreciation for the simple things in life. However many halflings have grown tired of the treatment they have recieved and have set about fighting back. True they do not have the strength to fight back physically, but they make up for it by out thinking their enemies. Plantouched The nations of Ghelspad have long trafficked with beings from other realms. During the Divine War angels and devils fought along the armies of the gods to throw down the Titans; while the Titan's armies summoned demons from the Abyss to raze the cities and fortresses of the divine races. The mighty Empire of Lede used bound djinn to power and administrate their society and to guard their precious treasures. This mingling of men and outsiders have given rise to a number of races that bear the mark of the planes. Known as aasimar, ifrit, oread, suli, sylph, tiefling, and undine; these races are not common but can be found in any major population center. The Proud The Horsemen of Vangal are not the only threats on the Plains of Lede. The lion-men known as the proud also haunt the plains, raiding and seeking revenge for the destruction wrought on them during the Divine War. Although most of them still follow the teachings of Hrinruuk; others have begun to convert to following the gods. Although they have not become accepted by the divine races they are beginning to make inroads with elves and humans. (GM Note: use catfolk from Pathfindedr Bestiary 3)